No problems at Macondo, BP says

LONDON, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The integrity of the Macondo well was confirmed by underwater surveys following reports of sheen in the Gulf of Mexico, BP said.

BP, rig owner Transocean and the U.S. Coast Guard sent vehicles to the site of the Deepwater Horizon accident in 2010 to determine if residual oil was escaping. BP said the latest survey was the fourth survey since the well was sealed in September 2010.

"BP today announced it has once again confirmed the integrity of the Macondo well and its associated relief wells following a recent subsea survey to identify potential sources of a surface sheen near the Deepwater Horizon accident site in the Gulf of Mexico," BP said in a statement.

BP was under fire by U.S. lawmakers who suggested the company wasn't taking reports of new sheen seriously. BP noted, however, that the Coast Guard said new sheen wasn't a threat to the shoreline.

BP said there was no "conclusive evidence" that any hydrocarbons were leaking from the area. It said, however, there was a "white, cloudy substance" coming out of several spots on the sunken rig, which the company was investigating with the Coast Guard.

The Deepwater Horizon rig caught fire and sank in 2010. The explosion that sunk the rig killed 11 workers and led to the worst offshore oil spill in industry history.

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